Safe and Sound
by Erin Salvatore
Summary: AU/AH. One rainy night, Damon Salvatore's life takes a dramatic turn when Elena Gilbert shows up at his doorstep, with no memory of her past. As she recovers from a fever, they bond and eventually fall for one another.
1. Chapter 1

**Safe and Sound**

**by Erin Salvatore**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.**

_**Note: Yes, folks, I felt the need for another Delena AU/AH. The plot is this: One rainy night, Damon finds a woman named Elena, who has no memory of her past at all. Not wanting her to be alone, he takes care of her and as he does, the two fall in love.**_

_**Don't ask, I was in the mood for something different.**_

**Chapter 1**

_Salvatore Mansion..._

The rain seemed to come down in buckets as Damon Salvatore stood by the window. It was nights like this that he was grateful to be warm and dry, and at the same time, he felt bad for those who weren't fortunate enough to have what he had, hoping that they were able to find a place they could at least be safe for the night.

Sighing, Damon was about to walk away when he suddenly heard a knock at the front door. Curious as to who would be coming by in weather like this, he opened the door to see a young woman standing there, soaked to the bone. What the hell was she doing walking around in the rain without an umbrella?

No sooner did Damon open the door than the woman said, "Help...me."

With those words, she fainted, but Damon quickly caught her, carried her into the mansion, kicking the door shut with his foot. He looked down at the woman in his arms. Even though she was soaking wet, she was quite beautiful, with long, dark brown hair that was currently dripping wet onto the floor, a body that a man would have to be blind and stupid not to notice, and lips ideal for kissing and nibbling. Just before she fainted, Damon saw that her eyes were brown.

Not wanting to waste a second, Damon carried her upstairs to one of the guest rooms, carefully removing her wet clothes, leaving her in her underwear, and laid her down on the bed, covering her with a blanket, feeling her shiver under his hand. Dear God, what could have happened to this poor woman that she had nowhere to go on a night like this?

After he had gotten her covered up, Damon felt her forehead and to his shock, it was hot to the touch. Quickly, he went to the bathroom, got the digital thermometer, and put it in her ear. He pressed the button and when he looked at the screen, it said: 103.1.

The woman moaned slightly and opened her eyes. "Where am I?" She then looked at Damon. "Who are you?"

"I'm Damon Salvatore, and this is my home," he replied. "Don't worry, you're safe here." Smiling sadly, he added, "What's your name, by the way? It's only fair, since we're making with the introductions?"

"Elena. Elena Gilbert."

"And where are you from, Elena?"

"That's the problem, I don't remember," said Elena. "It's a complete blank."

Damon raised an eyebrow. She had no memory of where she was from? Shit, she must have really been through something serious if she couldn't remember. Of course, he wasn't about to force her, not when she wasn't well enough to reveal anything.

"Well, that's not important right now," he said. "What's important is getting that nasty fever of yours down."

Elena nodded and gave Damon a weak smile. He certainly was handsome, with short, sleek black hair that seemed to shimmer under the lighting in the room, icy blue eyes that any woman worth her salt would have to be blind and stupid not to get captivated by their power, a body that was being hugged in all the right places by the black T-shirt and dark blue jeans he was wearing, and lips that were ideal for kissing and nibbling.

"Thank you, Damon."

Damon smiled back. "No problem. I couldn't let a lovely young lady like you stay out there in the rain. It's not becoming of a gentleman." He gently brushed her cheek with his hand. "Don't worry, Elena, you're in good hands with me."

Elena smiled again before yawning and falling asleep. Damon then went to the bathroom and got a basin, which he filled with cool water, and a washcloth. Dipping the washcloth into the water and wringing it out, he placed it on Elena's forehead, watching her as she slept.

_**Note: Short beginning, but our leads have met. There will be romance in here, Delena faithful, so fear not. I shall not disappoint you.**_

_**Reviews are love! Tell me what you think!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.**

_**Note: Previously, in "Safe and Sound," Damon meets Elena, a woman who shows up at his doorstep, soaking wet and with no memory of where she came from.**_

_**Thank you for the reviews so far! You guys are awesome!**_

_Later that Night..._

Damon sat at Elena's bedside, holding her hand. He felt so bad for her, having nowhere to go, and having absolutely no memory of anything, not even where she was from. Still, he refused to let that deter him from taking care of her. He had checked her temperature a few minutes ago and saw that it had gone down a little, to 101.3. She was getting better, but she wasn't out of the woods just yet.

Grabbing the washcloth with his free hand, Damon placed it back in the basin and got it wet again, wringing it out before placing it on her forehead. God, he hated that she was sick like this and hoped that by morning, her fever would be completely broken.

He was still tending to her when there was a knock at the door. Damon looked at the clock on the nightstand and it read: 12:30 AM. Who the hell would be coming by at this hour of the night? Reluctantly, he got up from where he was sitting, exited the room, and went downstairs. The knocking became more persistent as he approached the foyer.

"Yeah, I'm coming," he said. "Hold on."

Upon reaching the door, Damon opened it to see his brother, Stefan, standing there. Stefan was a detective on the Mystic Falls Police. In fact, just the other day, he had successful tracked down a serial rapist that was targeting women in the area, which had made the paper the very next day.

"Stefan, what are you doing here?"

"I was doing my rounds," the younger Salvatore brother replied. "I thought maybe I'd stop in and see how you were before I head home."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "I don't need you to worry about me, Stefan. I'm a grown man, I can take care of myself."

Stefan nodded. "True, but I wouldn't be a good brother if I didn't make sure you were safe."

Damon scoffed. "Always the hero, huh, Stefan?"

Stefan then noticed that were two small puddles of water behind Damon. "Did you have any visitors within the last few hours? The floor behind you is wet."

Damon bit his lip. He couldn't lie to his brother. Instead of giving him a verbal reply, he quickly grabbed Stefan's arm and pulled him into the house, shutting the door behind him. Stefan scowled at this, not sure what was going on here.

"Damon, what's gotten into you?"

"There's something you need to see," he replied. "Someone, actually."

Stefan blinked. "Huh?"

"Come on, I'll show you," said Damon. "You'll get a better sense of what I'm talking about."

Not giving Stefan a chance to reply, Damon went upstairs. Not sure what this was about, Stefan followed along behind his brother. He hoped that wasn't a trick, because he wasn't exactly in the mood for it, having just dealt with a pair of teenagers who thought they were being funny by covering a historic building with graffiti.

"Damon, why can't you just tell me what we're doing up here?"

"You'll see when we get there," said Damon. "Trust me, I'm not making any of this up."

It wasn't long before the brothers reached the room that Elena was in and when they got there, Stefan gasped before looking at Damon, automatically assuming the worst.

"What did you do?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Before you go into cop mode, Stefan, I didn't _do_ anything. She showed up at the door a few hours ago, obviously looking for some place warm and dry. What was I supposed to do, slam the door in her face? If she had been out in that storm for much longer, there's a good chance that she'd be dead by now."

"Who is she?"

"Her name is Elena Gilbert."

"I see," said Stefan. "And where's she from? Did she tell you?"

"I asked her," said Damon. "And she told me that she doesn't remember. That automatically got me worried, because she must've gone through something serious if she has no memory of where she came from."

"Well, she had to have from somewhere," said Stefan. "She couldn't have appeared out of thin air. It's just not possible." He sighed. "Tell you what, I'll check to see if anyone has filed a Missing Persons report within the past 24 hours. She has to have family that are wondering where she is."

"Damon?"

Elena's soft voice snapped the brothers to attention. She obviously must've heard them talking and it woke her up. Damon went over to her and sat on the bed.

"It's okay, Elena," he replied. "I'm right here." He nodded toward Stefan. "That's my brother, Stefan. He's a cop."

Elena smiled weakly at Stefan. "Hi."

Stefan nodded. "Hey. Damon told me that you were looking for a place to stay."

"Yeah, I did," said Elena. "I had to get in from out of the rain before I caught my death of cold." She coughed slightly and groaned. "Looks like I spoke too soon, because I think I did catch a cold."

"Well, it's a good thing you have Damon here to take care of you," said Stefan. "He's got a good heart." He cleared his throat. "I won't keep you then, because it's late and I have to get home to Katherine before she wonders where the hell I've gone to." He went to walk out of the room and then looked at Elena. "Get some rest and drink plenty of fluids. Wouldn't want you to dehydrate."

Elena nodded weakly. "Okay. It's nice to have met you, Stefan. I hope to see more of you."

Stefan smiled. "We'll see. Just focus on getting better first."

With that, he left the room. Once they were alone, Damon shook his head. "Sorry about that. Stefan was doing his rounds and he came by to see if I was okay before he went home. Then, he saw the puddles left by your hair when it was dripping and..."

"Damon, you don't have to explain," said Elena. "Your brother wanted to see if there was anyone else here with you, that's all." She coughed, a bit more raspy this time. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," said Damon. "You're still sick, you couldn't help it. Your fever went down a bit, but you've got a ways to go before it breaks completely. Don't worry, though, I'll make sure you're back to full capacity."

Elena smiled. Stefan was right, Damon did have a good heart. He wouldn't have taken her in if he didn't. She owed him her life, and she made a mental note to thank him once she was well enough. Then, with a sigh, she closed her eyes again and fell asleep. Damon smiled as he sat there and watched her sleep. He didn't know why, but he felt something between them, even though they had just met hours ago. Of course, how could he not feel that way about someone so beautiful?

_I don't know what it is about her that's making me feel like this,_ he thought. _It's as if fate brought her to me. Whatever it is, I got this feeling that I can't shake as I'm looking at her. She's so beautiful, like an angel. An angel that I could've sworn I've seen somewhere before, like a dream perhaps. Time will tell if my theory is correct._

_**Note: Here you go, guys, Chapter 2 of "Safe and Sound." Don't worry, Delena faithful, Elena is going to recover. And it looks as though there's some sparks already. Stay tuned!**_

_**ENJOY THE UPDATE AND REMEMBER TO REVIEW!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.**

_**Note: Previously, in "Safe and Sound," Stefan visits Damon while on his rounds and meets Elena.**_

_**Thank you for the reviews so far! You guys are awesome!**_

_Next Day..._

The morning sun shone through the window, enveloping every inch of the room with its light. Elena moaned as the light hit her face, having not been much of a morning person. She looked over and saw Damon asleep in the chair at her bedside, holding her hand in his. She smiled at how cute he looked and hated to wake him.

The smile still on her face, she gently squeezed his hand and saw him open his eyes, smiling at her in return. "Morning."

"Hi," she replied. "How'd you sleep?"

"Okay, I guess," said Damon. "I'm sorry that I dozed off like that."

"Don't apologize, Damon," said Elena. "You were tired, I understand."

Damon smiled again and felt her forehead. It was cooler than it was last night. Hoping that this meant what he thought it did, Damon stuck the thermometer in her ear and pressed the button. He looked at the screen and it read: 98.5, a degree below normal.

"Your fever finally broke," he said. "That's good."

"Good, I hated to worry you, what with me being that sick," said Elena. "Though, I did appreciate you looking after me like that, Damon. You barely know me and yet, you're willing to take care of me."

"It was my pleasure, Elena," said Damon. "I couldn't let you stay out in that horrible weather." He looked toward the window and saw that it wasn't raining anymore. "Looks like the rain stopped. Good, that means we're in for a nice day today." He looked back at Elena. "This may sound a little forward of me, but would you like to go into town with me? The fresh air and sunshine will be good for both of us."

Elena smiled again and nodded. "Of course I will." She looked down at herself and blushed. "Umm, Damon? You wouldn't happen to have any fresh clothes for me, would you? I kind of don't have any of my own."

Damon bit his lip. She was right, she didn't really have any clothes other than the ones he found her in.

_Guess we'll have to pick some up while we're out today,_ he thought. _Though, I could call Stefan and see if Katherine has anything she hasn't worn in a few years that Elena might like._

"Well, I don't really have any clothes for women here," he said. "But, I could ask Stefan if Katherine has any clothes to give you until we buy new ones."

Elena blinked. "Oh, yeah, Stefan mentioned her last night. Is she his girlfriend?"

"His _wife_, actually. They got married two years ago," said Damon. "Anyway, would you like me to find out if Katherine is willing to give you some clothes to tide you over until we go shopping?"

Elena nodded. "I suppose it's worth a try."

Damon nodded as well and got his cell phone out, dialing Stefan's number, hoping that he hadn't left for work yet. He had been crazy hours recently, and he was hoping that he'd be able to do them a favor. After about three rings, Stefan's voice was heard on the other end.

"Yes, Damon?"

"Oh, thank God, I was hoping I'd catch you before you went to work," he replied. "Listen, does Katherine have any extra clothes she's willing to part with?"

"I could ask her," said Stefan. "Why? You're not planning on wearing them, are you?"

"For your information, I need them for Elena," said Damon. "She doesn't have any other clothes except the ones she was wearing when I found her. She's much better today, her fever went down, and I wanted to take her with me into town. You know, get out of the house for a while and get some sun and fresh air."

"I suppose that wouldn't be a problem," said Stefan. "Hold on, let me ask Katherine if she's willing to let Elena have her extra clothes until you buy some for her."

With that, he put Damon on hold while he went to do his task. A few minutes passed before he came back on the line and said, "Katherine said she's willing to part with some jeans, a blouse, a blazer, and some boots that she hasn't worn in two years."

Not giving his brother a chance to reply, he added, "But, she wants to meet Elena."

Damon sighed. He had a feeling that Katherine wouldn't just fork over some extra clothing without first meeting the person she was going to be donating them to. Of course, he was also concerned about how Katherine would react when she saw Elena. Though, he hated to admit that he had almost mistaken Elena for Katherine when he met her last night, because she looked like she could be her twin sister.

"Fine, Stef, Katherine can meet Elena."

"Good," said Stefan. "We'll be over in a few minutes."

With that, Damon hung up the phone, wondering just how the hell he was going to explain all this. He looked at Elena. "Stefan says Katherine is willing to part with a few articles of clothes she hasn't worn in couple of years. But, she has to meet you."

"You sound worried."

"Well, I sort of am," said Damon. "You see, when I met you last night, I kind of had to do a double take, because you and Katherine look alike."

"I look like your sister-in-law?" said Elena. "Wow, that's kind of weird. Creepy, but weird."

"I don't know how she's going to react," said Damon. "So, be prepared."

Elena nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be able to handle it."

Damon said nothing, just nodded, hoping that she was right.

_**Note: I know, ending this on a cliffhanger is evil, but I need to so I can continue in Chapter 4. Stay tuned!**_

_**ENJOY THE UPDATE AND REMEMBER TO REVIEW!**_


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